Lexical Gap No. 51: Multipasking
May 2024 summary
In May, Bear and I traveled to Senegal.
Some of you may know that Bear is a doctor, and he was invited by an organization to give a presentation at an association, as well as teach African medical students and attendings how to do the particular type of surgery in which he specializes.
Timing-wise, this trip wasn’t exactly ideal for me, but then again, I find that travel never is. And I wasn’t going to turn down a potentially once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa because it was slightly inconvenient. If I waited until conditions were ideal to travel, then I would never go anywhere. Senegal was amazing—I stepped in the Atlantic Ocean, wrote a little, ate a lot, and walked even more.
In this issue
1. JJ’s magical world
2. Lexical gap
3. This creative life
4. Events & appearances
5. The Morning Realms Dispatch
6. What I’m watching
7. What I’m listening to
8. Other things of note
lexical gap: multipasking 🧩
I feel so called out right now.
this creative life ✍🏻
If there is anything to know about me, it’s that I am a creature of habit and apparently cannot write anywhere except in my office, at my desk. No one is more disappointed than I am to discover that the romantic idea of being able to write anywhere, at any time, does not apply to me. I am not a particularly scripturient person; the desire to write is neither incessant nor constant nor urgent within me. Talk about imposter syndrome; here I am, a professional writer who apparently does not like to write very often. At another time, I may have to examine this more fully, but that time is not now, when the very real pressure of deadline is pressing on my neck.
events & appearances 📅
I will have a few events this month if any of y’all are in the North Carolina area!
PRIDE PANEL WITH STEVEN PETROW, ARDEN COUTTS, AND S. JAE-JONES
Join us for a panel of incredible North Carolina authors in celebration of Pride Month! This event is free to attend and seating is first come, first served. A portion of all sales at the event will be donated to the LGBT Center of Raleigh.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 18 at 7PM
WHERE: Quail Ridge Books, North Hills 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh, NC
WE WRITE TO MAKE IT BETTER: The Need for Queer & Diverse YA
Come celebrate PRIDE Month with Flyleaf Books and the Chapel Hill Public Library! The afternoon will feature conversation and readings from YA authors S. Jae-Jones, Nita Tyndall, Sarah Van Name, and Jeremy Whitley and will be moderated by the 2024 NC Piedmont Laureate Steven Petrow. Topics discussed may include creating diverse and queer characters, the writing process, and book-banning. We'll make sure to save space for audience questions, so come ready to join the discussion!
WHEN: Saturday, June 22 at 2PM
WHERE: Chapel Hill Public Library, Meeting Room B, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, NC
the morning realms dispatch 🌞
The news is out! Illumicrate will be putting out a matching edition of Guardians of Dawn: Ami to go with the first book, available for purchase on their website!
This edition will include:
An exclusive hardback edition of the UK paperback
Full colour printing on the hardback (by @kira_yukishiro_)
Digitally printed edges (by @chattynora)
Illustrated endpapers (by @kira_yukishiro_)
Signed by yours truly!
what i’m watching 📺
American Fiction. I watched this on my plane ride to Senegal and I loved it. For those of us in publishing, the specificity of it all is both hilarious and awkward. I wasn’t sure how well it would translate for those outside the industry, but Bear also watched this and I caught him laughing more than once.
Anatomy of a Fall. I watched this on my plane ride back from Senegal. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this movie, but what I got was an incredibly compelling legal drama. Not a thriller; a drama. I think I kept expecting some sort of “twist,” but that’s not what this movie is about. It’s about how trauma affects a family, about how our flaws can be twisted and used against us. It was definitely thrilling, if not a thriller.
what i’m listening to 🎧
All I can say is: Who hurt you, Namjoon????? I loved it, but that goes without saying. One thing I love about RM as an artist is how he’s not afraid to take risks, change genres, and do things that aren’t necessarily safe or expected. Every single one of his mixtapes and albums have been different from each other, but what remains the same is his gut-wrenching vulnerability and lyricism. Highly recommend!
other things of note 💾
Nicholson, Jenny. “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel.” Jenny Nicholson, YouTube. May 2024
And now, I dive back under for more revisions. Until next time!
사랑해,
